Where the Heart Is
by Insanity Allegra
Summary: It's -3 degrees out, the Rowdyruff Boys are homeless, and Boomer is extremely sick. Could a chance meeting with Bubbles turn the Boys' first Christmas around, and net them the one gift they've wanted since Mojo Jojo washed his hands of them? A real home.
1. A Random Chance

I do not own The Powerpuff Girls.

Merry Christmas!

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

 _The city of Townsville! A beautiful burg filled with happy people all enjoying the last day before Christmas Eve! The houses are decorated, the streets are filled with laughter and the sounds of wonderful music... Even Townsville's most notorious villains are enjoying that special holiday magic this evening... Let's check in on a few of them, shall we?_

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Mojo Jojo stood in his lab, cackling as he fired his new ray gun at a block of wood on the table. There was a flash of light, a 'whooom' noise, and the block was transmogrified into a mug of peppermint eggnog.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! My most wonderful Christmas invention that I have invented for Christmas is a success! Now I shall have all the eggnog I desire because it is Christmas time and I desire eggnog so I invented an invention that will give me all the eggnog I desire for the Christmas season! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Fuzzy Lumpkins sang 'Hark, the Herald Angels Sing' loudly and off-key as he put mistletoe in every nook and cranny of his ceilings and strung up real, homemade pine garland on the walls.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Sedusa, dressed in a sexy Mrs. Clause outfit, strutted around the Townsville Mall trying to score a date with one of the mall Santas.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Princess Morbucks sat at her desk, writing out a long list of incredibly expensive things she wanted her Daddy to get her for Christmas.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

 _But wait! It seems there are some citizens who aren't able to join in the holiday cheer!_

In a half-hidden alleyway, three small boys huddled together in a cardboard box. Once in a while, the one in red would climb out of their little hideaway and brush the snow off the top, to prevent it from soaking through and getting he and his brothers wet.

Anyone who laid eyes on this boy would recognize him as Brick, the leader of the infamous band of brats known as the Rowdyruff Boys.

Anyone with a heart would see that he was filthy, and skinny, and his clothes were tattered and worn, and not heavy enough for the cold and three feet of snow. A look into the box, where Butch and Boomer had barely moved since nightfall, would see them in the same state.

Brick ducked back into their box after brushing himself off as best he could.

Boomer slowly opened glazed blue eyes, peering blearily at his brothers, before erupting into a loud, painful coughing fit.

Brick frowned. He knew Boomer was sick, extremely sick. He was certain the blond had a fever, and every time he coughed sounded worse than the last.

He'd offered to go try and lift some medicine from the drugstore, but after Mojo kicked them out, the trio had decided to go as straight as they could, and they hadn't stolen (or indeed, broken any other laws) in months. Boomer didn't want them to break their record on his account.

But Boomer hadn't been getting any better. He'd been getting worse and worse as the days passed, and Brick was afraid his little brother was dying.

They'd thought they'd be fine living out on their own on the streets. It wasn't hard to find enough edible food to live on when you could check every dumpster and trash can in the city in a matter of minutes.

Then it started getting cold. Brick grinned wryly at the wall of their box when he remembered the last time they'd run into Bubbles, which was also the last time they'd seen any of the Powerpuff Girls. It had been early September, and it was just starting to cool down, the leaves were changing, and he and his brothers had been freaking out.

The Puff had braced herself for a fight, not three panicked Ruffs practically begging for an explanation.

" _Bubbles! The world is ending! Why aren't you Powderpuffs_ doing something _!?" Brick demanded, frenzied red eyes flicking back and forth like a cornered animal._

 _Bubbles froze, and very slowly dropped out of her fighting stance, eyeing him cluelessly. "Um. What? Everything seems fine to me..." She looked about, obviously not understanding the source of her enemies' distress._

" _Can't you see it!? It's right in front of your giant eyes!" Butch snapped, pointing at a nearby red and yellow tree. Her eyes followed his hand to the foliage, but she still didn't seem to comprehend what had them freaked._

" _It's cold!" Boomer whined. "The tress are dying!_ What's going on _!?" Frustrated tears filled his eyes._

 _Finally,_ finally _, Bubbles seemed to get it, her mouth dropping into a small 'o' of understanding._

 _Then the little brat_ giggled _. "This is you guys' first autumn, isn't it?"_

 _Now it was their turn to stare at her uncomprehendingly._

 _She giggled again. "Don't worry, boys, this is perfectly normal."_

" _It is?" Brick asked, calming slightly._

" _Yup! See, later in the year, it starts to get a bit cooler, and that's when the leaves on the trees know to give all their energy to the branches and trunk to keep the trees alive in the winter, when it gets_ really _cold. They change color, and then they'll fall off. But when winter is over, and spring comes, the leaves'll grow back!" She smiled._

" _Winter?" The boys were back to being confused._

 _Bubbles got a tiny frown, her forehead scrunching up. "Didn't Mojo teach you guys this? It's kind of important..."_

 _They shook their heads in unison. There wasn't really any need to let Boomer's counterpart know that, after the Rowdyruff Boys had failed yet again at defeating she and her pesky sisters, Mojo Jojo had kicked them out, claiming them to be a waste of his time, a failure. Like they were one of his malfunctioning robots. He hadn't even let them take the few things they had to their names, spare outfits, a couple of toys each, their extra socks. It wasn't their fault, not really. When they were created, they didn't really know, well... Anything. Mojo Jojo had created them, he told them they should be bad kids, he pointed them at Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Once they'd been brought back to life by Him, they started to learn about the world around them, and once they did, they didn't want to hurt anybody, not even the Puffs. Even after their next few humiliating defeats. They didn't mind causing chaos, sure, but what little boys didn't like to cause utter destruction? It was fun! But there was a difference between mayhem and murder._

 _So, homeless, they started roaming the streets of Townsville, sleeping where they could, eating when they could, and vowing not to hurt anyone again. They didn't even steal, though they were often tempted to, when their bellies grumbled loudly in the middle of the night and they cried together because of hunger pains. But_ _Mojo Jojo's rejection had been the final straw, and now they just wanted to prove that they could behave, even if only to themselves. To prove that, even if they were created to be evil, they could be good. To prove that Mojo Jojo was wrong, that they weren't worthless._

 _They didn't want to admit that to Bubbles, though, so they said noting aside from the flat denial of shaking their heads._

 _The Puff placed a hand to her chin in thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up. "Stay here, I'll be right back!" She shot off before they could protest, and had returned before they could decide whether or not to leave. "Here!" In her hands was a thin, hardcover picture book. The title, written in big green letters, was_ **'The Four Seasons'** _. She held it out to Brick with a big smile. "This is how the Professor taught my sisters and I about the seasons. You guys can have it!"_

 _Brick took the book cautiously, eyeing the cover. It was obviously a children's book, and he opened it and looked over the full color illustrations. "Thanks?" It was unlikely that the sweetest Puff was playing a prank on them, but he was still wary._

" _No problem!" Bubbles giggled. "I guess I'll see you guys around?" Her voice lost a bit of its natural bounce as she spoke, like she was regretful she'd have to see them again. Or maybe she just thought they'd be fighting the next time they saw each other. Really, Brick hadn't cared much at the time. He had no intention of starting something with the Powerpuffs._

 _He'd just shrugged. "Thanks for the book, Bubbles." And they'd left before she could even respond._

The book had answered a fair few of their questions, but it hadn't prepared them for the cold. They'd never really experienced actual cold beyond getting hit with Blossom's ice breath from time to time.

They weren't ready for below zero temperatures and heavy, wet snow. They weren't ready for sheets of ice that were barely visible, making them slide and skin their knees when they tried to walk to conserve energy. They weren't ready for ferocious winds that made it hard to fly, or low visibility that made it near-impossible to scrounge for food. Or pouring rain that froze the moment it touched anything, including their hair or clothes.

Boomer coughed again, and Brick broke out of his thoughts to see Butch awkwardly rubbing his brother's back in an attempt to soothe his frantic hacking. Boomer's eyes were half-lidded, his face pale and swollen, his lips almost as blue as his eyes. Occasionally he shuddered, but he lacked the energy for the constant shivering his brothers were doing.

Brick grit his teeth. They were out of options. It was time to take more drastic measures. "Butch, you think you two'll be okay by yourselves?"

"And where are you going?"

"Medicine. I won't have Boomer dying on us just because we don't want to break any more laws." He stood stiffly, stretching a bit to get blood flowing. "Besides, at this point I'd almost rather go to jail... At least it would be warm."

It was a mark of how serious the situation was that Butch didn't even offer a token protest.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

The Townsville Walmart was packed full of last-minute shoppers, gathering missing ingredients for their various feasts and parties, and doing last-minute Christmas shopping for their various loved ones.

Among these shoppers, the three famous heroines known the world over as the Powerpuff Girls did their own ingredient hunting.

"Okay," Bubbles said, "the list says we need the turkey, milk, potatoes, carrots, applesauce... Um, cat food? Why would we need cat food? And brown sugar and ham."

Blossom took the list. "Huh. It _does_ say cat food."

"Did you think I was lying, Blossy?"

"No, Bubbles." She sighed. "I just thought you may have misread it." And then she grinned. "Alright girls, spread and search! Bubbles, you get the cat food, the milk, and applesauce! Buttercup, the turkey, and the potatoes! Meet back here! Go!"

Bubbles and Buttercup smiled back, and they all took off in different directions, at normal speeds. It was a game they'd played practically since the first time they'd been sent up to the grocery store by themselves – a footrace to see who could get the items the fastest. Bubbles headed over to the pet section to get the cat food first, though she still didn't know why they needed it. On the way she passed the medicine section.

After a second, she frowned, stopped, and backed up, slowly and quietly. Sure enough, the flash of red she'd seen _hadn't_ been her imagination. Brick, of all people, was clinging to the second shelf, feet dangling in the air, apparently trying to pick a bottle of medicine. Bubbles frowned, wondering why he was climbing on the shelves instead of just flying. Then she took in his whole condition, wet, torn clothes that practically hung off his small frame despite looking to be the same size as usual, flushed skin, missing a shoe, and shaking slightly.

She frowned. Nobody had really seen the Rowdyruff Boys since she'd given them that book a few months ago. And before, that, too, it had been a while. And she'd found it strange that, despite having broken into Mojo Jojo's lair multiple times since, there had never even been a sign of the Ruffs. At the time, none of her sisters had thought much of it. But now...

"Fever, coughing, runny nose... Ugh, I don't know how much of it is the cold or actual symptoms!" The redhead muttered. "What do I even get for him...?" He dropped from the shelf and looked to the left and right, and Bubbles barely had a chance to duck behind the end display before he looked in her direction. Was Brick... Crying? She'd never seen Butch or Brick cry, and they normally made fun of Boomer when he cried. The little Ruff kicked the shelf in frustration, making the whole thing wobble dangerously. Bubbles grabbed it and held it until it steadied, then poked her head out, looking at him crossly.

"Beating up the poor shelves won't help you with whatever the issue is, Brick." Bubbles scolded, only after speaking realizing that she'd given away her hiding spot.

The Rowdyruff Boy practically jumped out of his skin. "B-Bubbles!?"

"Well, I'm certainly not Princess Morbucks." Bubbles deadpanned. Then she reconsidered what she'd just said, and shuddered. "And thank god for that."

Brick snickered softly, then realized what he was doing and went back to staring at her like a trapped animal.

"Who's sick?" She decided against scolding him for (no doubt) being about to shoplift. She was far more concerned about the state he was in.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

This was just great. The first crime he'd committed in months and there was a freaking Powerpuff Girl in the same freaking building. Probably all three, actually, since they were rarely seen apart. Though, technically, he hadn't done anything yet.

"Who's sick?" Bubbles asked, sounding genuinely concerned, bleeding heart that she was.

Brick started to back away, trying to think. He couldn't just grab something and fly for it, because his powers were all wonky at the moment, and he couldn't even get off the ground reliably. And even if he could get off the ground and try to run, she'd catch him easily. She was well-known for being the fastest Puff. Not to mention that he still didn't know what kind of medicine to get for Boomer, if any could help at all. The Chemical X in their systems might just render anything they tried moot.

Bubbles frowned at him. "Brick? Are you okay? You don't look so good... And where are Boomer and Butch?" Her brows knitted together. "Are you... homeless?"

How had she come up with that so fast- Oh, right. He kept forgetting that Butch had lost his left shoe, so he'd given his brother his own. Coupled with the state he was in, it was probably pretty obvious. He sighed, and nodded.

Bubbles' big, sky blue eyes went _wide_. "But it's Christmas!"

Brick shrugged, still backing away. He was running out of ideas, beyond telling the truth. But he didn't want them to think he was weak... Pride though, was quickly being squashed by fear. Boomer could be dying or worse, they just didn't know. They needed help!

Then something seemed to hit her. "Is one of your brothers sick?"

Brick screwed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. Time to take the plunge. He nodded, feeling heat rise in his cheeks. Then he told her the truth. Seven minutes later, the little blue-themed blond had the whole sorry tale, from them being thrown out like yesterday's trash, to Boomer's severe illness that had Brick fearing for his life.

If he were speaking to Buttercup or Blossom, he'd be bracing himself for the scorn they would no doubt throw at him. But Bubbles was a different kind of person. She was, like Boomer, too soft to throw this kind of situation back in his face. He still remembered when the little blond had dressed up as his brother and pretended to be him for a day or two. 'Flowers are pretty... DUMB.' Even now, he sometimes got a chuckle out of thinking about that pathetic attempt at graffiti.

"That's awful, Brick..." She frowned. "I- I'll be right back, please stay here." A streak of sky blue light marked her departure.

Brick leaned against the shelf. No doubt she'd gone to get her sisters. Half of him was screaming that he needed to run away while she was still distracted. The other half, however, was quashing any resistance to staying exactly where he was with a simple mental image of his brother, sick and possibly dying at that very moment. If they had to get help from girls, then they _would_ get help from girls, even if they were the boys' supposed enemies.

Bubbles returned not only with her sisters, but with a shopping cart full of what were presumably the girls' reason for being in the Walmart in the first place, along with... Three heavy coats, winter hats, gloves, and warm-looking socks?

"Come on, Brick." Blossom said, gentler than he'd ever heard her talk. "Let's go through checkout and you can show us where your brothers are."

Brick sucked in a breath. It was one thing to ask Bubbles for help, but... His own counterpart and Butch's?

"Come on, Brick." Buttercup scolded. "Boomer needs help ASAP, right? Quit freaking, we're not gonna bite you guys."

Brick took a couple steadying breaths. "R-right. Okay."

The trip through checkout was mostly silent, but before they left the store, Blossom practically pinned him down while Buttercup and Bubbles forced him into some of the winter gear they'd bought, despite his protests about not wanting the charity.

Bubbles completely ignored his complaints as she swapped his ball cap for a dark red stocking cap and made sure his new, bright red coat was properly zipped.

"Now take us to your brothers."

The first thing Brick noticed upon stepping outside was that the amount of snow on the ground had doubled. The second thing was how much colder it felt outside now that he'd been in the heated store for a while. He sighed, looked to Bubbles. "I can't fly right now... Not enough energy..."

Blossom passed off her portion of the groceries – except the winter stuff – to Buttercup. Bubbles did the same. "Go tell the Professor."

Their lime-eyed sibling saluted and shot off, the streak of light following her throwing pretty color onto the snow.

Then Blossom swept him off his feet and took to the air, Bubbles following.

"Where are we going?"

Too tired to complain, Brick just pointed.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the boys' box, and Butch peeked out, gaping at the two Puffs. They didn't even give him a chance to speak, Bubbles just bodily dragged him out of the box, using his shock as a chance to dress him up in the dark green coat, to put thick gloves over numb fingers, and to force a forest-green stocking cap over his spiky hair. She passed a still-thoroughly-confused Butch to her sister, who moved Brick to her back, taking the time to help him latch his arms around her neck so he could hold on, then scooped Butch up, cradling him like a baby.

After a moment, he managed to regain his wits, but by then, Bubbles had finished dressing Boomer. After seeing the state the other two Ruffs were in – Blossom could see multiple patches of frostbite on Butch's visible skin, and Boomer wasn't even conscious – The pair had both instantly and independently decided not to waste a single second. The instant Boomer was kitted out, the two Puffs and three Ruffs took to the air, heading for home.

They reached the Utonium house in record time despite their burdens, and burst through the front door. The Professor was waiting at the door for them, and he gently took the three boys from his 'daughters'.

"Will they be okay, Professor?" Bubbles asked, voice wavering.

"I promise I'll do my best to make sure they'll be okay." The Professor said solemnly.

Brick leaned into the man's warm chest. He sure hoped they'd be okay. And if anyone knew how to properly treat sickness in people like he and his brothers, it was the 'father' of the only others.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Continued in part two, hopefully out Christmas day. ;)


	2. A Loving Home

Welp. My haul this year did not include the rights to the Powerpuff Girls. I'm not all that surprised. It did, however, include an office chair. Score!

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Buttercup had burst in with all the groceries and dumped them on the floor, then offered the Professor a quick explanation of why she was alone. Her sort-of father had sent her to put away the groceries, and then went to get ready for the other girls' arrival with the Ruffs.

The Professor started by entering the downstairs bathroom, very carefully opening the door and stepping in before the girls' present could escape.

He started a hot bath, knowing that would be the best way to warm the Ruffs up, and then ducked back out of the room, nudging the little black ball of fur away from the door with his foot. He ran up to the girls' room, digging through their dressers for some winter clothes, simple black slacks and sweaters in each of his daughters' favorite colors and style. From what Buttercup had said about the state of Brick's clothes, they would need them.

He stopped at the linen closet for clean towels, and at the thermostat to turn up the heat.

He took the towels and clean clothes and put them in the bathroom, turning off the faucet and taking the moment to refill the water bowl in the corner for the kitten.

Then he went to wait for Blossom and Bubbles.

It didn't take long, the girls were smart enough to know that time was of the essence. When they burst through the door, he took the three boys into his arms easily, in a way that he'd held the girls many times. They were much lighter than they should be, if he compared them to the girls, and they were covered in dirt and grime. What little visible skin each boy had was either deathly pale or blue with cold, or clearly frostbitten.

Brick was the best off of the three, but that wasn't saying much. His skin wasn't blue like his brothers' was, but he was still shivering, his core temperature still far lower than it needed to be.

Boomer was worst, his tiny body was wracked with shudders in his sleep, and the Professor would bet his research grants that the blond had a fever.

And Butch looked on the verge of falling unconscious himself.

"Will they be okay, Professor?" His little Bubbles asked, her voice shaking.

"I promise I'll do my best to make sure they'll be okay." The Professor said. Once he got them warmed up, clean, and some calories in their bodies, and they got some good, healthy sleep, the Chemical X in their systems should help them heal within the week, barring any other complications.

He felt Brick lean into his chest trustingly, and smiled slightly.

"Go play, I'm going to go give them a bath. It's the fastest way to warm them up."

He almost snorted when, half-asleep, Butch slurred, "Nubaff..."

Bubbles giggled and Blossom rolled her eyes. "Just like Buttercup."

"'MnotButters..."

Brick chuckled softly. The Professor barely heard it, but it was there. Apparently this was normal.

He carried the three little boys into the bathroom, yet again ensuring the girls' gift didn't escape.

"Brick? Since you seem to be the only lucid one, would you rather I stayed in here and helped you three or left?"

Brick thought a moment, though he really already knew his answer. With Boomer unconscious and Butch barely so, he'd need the help just to keep them from drowning. He nodded. "Please stay."

"Alright." The Professor said. It wasn't like he'd never bathed the girls. This was no different, just with a genderswap.

Once the three boys were undressed and in the water, Butch woke up a bit more, _especially_ when the Professor poured a cup of warm water over his head. Brick laughed at his peeved expression, his soaked, limp hair hanging in his eyes. Butch normally avoided water like a cat.

Speaking of cats, it was just about then that Brick noticed the other being in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub, a tiny, fuzzy little bundle of black fluff and green eyes that were way too big for its face... Actually, that sounded a lot like Butch. Huh.

"Professor Utonium? Why is there a baby cat in here?"

"Oh, she's the girls' Christmas present this year. Isn't she cute?" The Professor asked as he carefully worked no-tear shampoo through Boomer's greasy, tangled hair.

"She reminds me of Butch."

Butch shot him the bird.

"Seriously, dude! Crazy black hair that sticks out everywhere, ginormous green eyes, loathes water with a fiery passion?"

"I hate you." Butch seethed, making Brick snicker. His brother was so funny when he was wet and annoyed.

The Professor finished scrubbing down Boomer and sat him on a seat built into the side of the tub, safely sleeping with his head above water, easy to catch if he slipped, but still in the cradle of warmth the water provided. He moved onto a startled Butch, who relaxed after a moment of the adult working soap into his hair.

It was actually a secret trick the creator of the Powerpuff Girls had worked out shortly after the 'birth' of his daughters. They were always extremely excitable during bath time, but he had found that mixing a single drop of Antidote X into the bottle of shampoo - literally no more than one for an entire thirty ounce bottle - would relax the girls to the point of near-sleep. That much dilution was the only reason it was safe, however. A single undiluted drop of Antidote X could burn them, screw up their powers, or worse if it wasn't removed soon enough. But that same little drop was, strangely, pleasant for the girls, and apparently, the boys, when diluted.

If Butch had been a cat, he'd have been purring. Between the warm water and finally being clean and the soothing feeling the shampoo brought, he almost was anyway. He certainly was making little pleased noises, eyes half-lidded.

Brick smirked. "I thought you hated baths."

Butch pointedly ignored him while the Professor rinsed his hair.

The water turned steadily darker with each passing moment, Butch eventually being as clean as he could get without draining the tub and refilling it, and Brick stopped laughing when Utonium reached for him. The brief flash of panic ended quickly, though, when he felt the soothing soap and practiced fingers working it into his knotted red hair.

"Crap..." He mumbled.

"What?" The Professor asked.

"You're going to make me brush that, aren't you?"

"Probably." The scientist nodded.

Now Butch had that evil little grin, and it was Brick's turn to shoot him the bird. He _hated_ brushing his hair! It always felt like he was trying to pull it right from his head!

They heard a yawn and looked over to see Boomer, awake at last, looking around in utter befuddlement. "Huh?" That was the cue for him to start coughing again. The Professor gently steadied him until it had passed, and then went back to trying to get months worth of filth off of Brick.

"Calm down, Bro. We're safe." Butch said, moving to sit next to his brother.

"Isn't he the Puffs' dad?"

Butch nodded.

"... M'kay..." He half-closed his eyes, tired, and leaned against Butch, who scowled but didn't complain. Boomer could worry about it later.

Brick smiled, leaning into the Professor's touch. This was... nice. Honestly, in less than an hour, they'd been treated better than Mojo ever had treated them. And he felt so much more human now that he was warm and clean.

It was a shame that things would have to go back to the way they were before. It would be far to easy to get used to this casual acceptance, this feeling of safety and warmth.

A few cups of clean water from the faucet were dumped over his head, rinsing the last of the suds away, and Professor Utonium scooped him out of the water and plonked him onto a towel spread out on the bathroom floor. He pulled the other two out of the bath and set them on their own towels, pulling out the plug and allowing the nearly-black water to vanish down the drain.

Brick pulled the towel around him, as did his brothers with theirs, drying themselves off. He frowned at the pink sweater with a black stripe he was offered. "Um, What about our clothes?" He didn't really want to sound ungrateful, but they'd had those since their creation. And he didn't particularly want to wear what were obviously Blossom's clothes.

The Professor held up a nearly-shredded piece of red and black cloth with a flat expression and Brick sighed. "No way to fix them, then?"

The older man nodded, and Brick pulled on the clothes he'd been offered without further comment, Butch and Boomer following his lead.

The kitten climbed onto Brick's lap and meowed at him. He leaned as far back from her as he could, just a little bit nervous. They'd had a few run-ins with feral alley cats that had not ended well for he and his brothers, but this was at least an adorable little ball of fuzz. He hesitantly reached out and patted it on the head.

"Mrowp!"

He snatched his hand away. "It made a noise, what do I do?!"

The Professor chuckled and picked the kitten up. "I think she likes you, Brick."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what to make of her..."

"That's fine, Brick." The scientist nodded. "Come on, I'll show you boys to the guest room."

"Um, we wouldn't wanna be trouble –"

"Nonsense! You need food and sleep, and a warm place for Boomer to recover."

Brick lowered his head. They did, and he didn't really want to leave... It wouldn't hurt for them to stay, just a little longer, right?

The Professor led them to a bedroom, and the three of them climbed into the bed.

"How long has it been since you've eaten?"

"... I forget." Butch said.

"Like, two weeks? Three? I dunno..." Brick frowned.

The professor sighed. "I'll bring you something easy on your stomachs."

"Um... Thanks?"

"Get some rest, boys." The Powerpuff Girl's pseudo-father turned and left.

Brick helped Boomer under the blanket, and he and Butch curled up on either side of him. Sleep sounded great...

The Rowdyruff Boys fell into darkness.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Bubbles looked up as the Professor re-entered the living room. "How are they?"

"They'll be just fine, girls." He smiled.

Bubbles' eyes lit up, "Sooooo... Can we keep them?" He was suddenly faced with three pairs of puppy eyes.

"I thought they were your enemies?" He tried, though his resistance was quickly crumbling. Adding three more superpowered children to the household was a daunting idea, but having three more children to dote on sounded wonderful at the same time. And those eyes! He seriously couldn't resist those big, hopeful eyes.

"They've been straight for months." Buttercup said simply. "We've only fought them like six times, max."

"... We'll make the offer, at least."

"YAY!" They yelled, tackle-hugging him. "THANK YOU PROFESSOR!"

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

The Rowdyruff Boys slept through the night and into Christmas Eve, the next day, nearly sleeping until six pm. When they woke up, they practically inhaled the broth the Professor brought them, then rolled over and went back to sleep. As the hours passed, they grew noticeably healthier, skin returning to a more normal color, the ugly purple frostbite fading.

It was the next morning before they woke up again, and that was because Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were floating above them, poking them.

"Come on, wake up! It's Christmas!" Buttercup yelled.

The boys blinked up at the girls, bleary-eyed. "Huuuuh?" Butch mumbled.

Blossom grabbed Brick and slung him over her shoulder. "PRESENTS!"

Buttercup just grabbed Butch by the ankle, and literally dragged him into the other room.

Boomer tilted his head at Bubbles.

"How are you feeling?"

"Really good, actually." Boomer smiled. "Much better... Hungry, though."

Bubbles giggled. "Breakfast after presents."

Boomer frowned slightly. "Um..."

Bubbles cut him off, her smile wide enough to almost split her face. "There are presents for you guuuuys! The Professor went shopping night before last, after you fell asleep."

"... Why?" Boomer whispered, sounding completely lost.

"Because it's your first Christmas. And, well... I hope it's not your last with us."

"... Huh?"

"The Professor is gonna offer to adopt you guys."

Boomer's jaw dropped. Bubbles just smiled and offered her hand to her counterpart.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Brick stared at the papers in front of him in a mix of shock, incredulity, and hope. He had no idea how Professor Utonium had managed to get these so quickly - he wasn't exactly an expert, but even he knew that bureaucracy moved at the speed of molasses.

Boomer poked his head over Brick's right shoulder, the left being occupied by Butch.

"... What do you guys think...?" This was spoken lowly, quietly. Uncertain.

If they signed these forms, everything would change.

Was it worth it?

The Professor had said that them living here only had one condition. They had to stay straight. Behave. They didn't have to be buddy-buddy with the Puffs, didn't have to fight crime and be goody-two-shoes little heroes. They just had to behave, be normal little boys with the minor addition of superpowers.

And they would have a home, three meals a day, an education... Things they'd never had before.

Was it worth it? They'd been created to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, brought back to life to defeat them.

Could they throw their old purpose away and never go back? They'd been straight for a while, sure, and they'd avoided picking fights, but... Could they do that for the rest of their lives?

Butch and Boomer both gave him tiny nods.

Well, they'd never backed down from a challenge before.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

 _The City of Townsville, one year later!_

"OI, BLOSSY!"

"BUTTERS!"

"BUBS!"

The Powerpuff girls yelped and shot into the air, nearly crashing into the three smirking boys floating upside-down above their bed.

"COME ON, IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Boomer... Well... Boomed, grabbing a shrieking Bubbles by the ankle and flying downstairs.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL ASLEEEEEEEP!?" Butch demanded, shaking Buttercup. "PRESENTS!" He proceeded to mimic his brother in dragging one of their sisters downstairs.

Brick dipped down, grabbing the half-grown cat that had been sleeping at the foot of the bed, then shoved Blossom's bow into her hands. "Come on, or they'll open all of them!"

Blossom giggled as Brick dragged her through the air. She was remembering it being the opposite way around just a year ago (and had it really only been one? Honestly, she could barely imagine life without her three annoying brothers anymore), and she took a moment to reflect on the time since Bubbles had run into Brick in the Walmart.

It had been awkward for a while, but the Ruffs had slowly grown more comfortable around them, and had eventually grown fairly close to the girls. They'd stayed out of the crime-fighting business, though, but the girls understood why. If the roles had been reversed, she wouldn't have wanted to have to fight the guy she'd once considered a father, either.

The turning point came almost eight months after Brick, Boomer, and Butch had become Utoniums. Mojo Jojo had gotten a hold of some Antidote X, and managed to kidnap the girls.

He'd spent almost twenty minutes ranting that the Powerpuff Girls had stolen his sons (never mind that he'd abandoned them) and gloating, while the deadly (to them) chemical slowly broke their bodies down into their base ingredients - Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice.

And then, the explosions started as three _extremely_ pissed little boys burst through the ceiling. Boomer and Butch, being faster than Brick, had grabbed the girls, delivered them back home, then returned to the volcano to 'explain' to Mojo Jojo why trying to outright kill their sisters while they couldn't fight back was a Bad Idea.

Nobody had seen Mojo for almost two months after that. When questioned, the Rowdyruff Boys would not tell anyone what they'd actually done, but they did say that the girls weren't leaving them behind again.

Since then, crime rates had plummeted as people slowly realized that, yes, the number of superheroes in Townsville had doubled. Only the die-hards really caused any trouble now, and they were usually dispatched swiftly.

Brick plonked her down beside her other siblings as they all crowded onto the couch.

After all, there were gifts to exchange.

(Thisisalinebreakbecauseitbreaksthelinessothestorycancontinueatadifferentlocationorpointofviewthantherewasbeforethelinebreakbroketheline)

Haha! Only two hours late! :D

Merry Friggin' Christmas! ;)


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